1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a controller for a vehicle which stops an engine mounted in a vehicle when a stop condition holds while the engine is in operation, and restarts the engine when a start condition holds while the engine is at rest.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, there has been known a controller for a vehicle adapted to temporarily stop an engine while a vehicle is at rest thereby to restrain fuel consumption from idling while the vehicle is at rest (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H4-358729).
In a conventional controller for a vehicle, an engine is stopped when the vehicle speed reaches zero and the vehicle stops and the clutch switch turns off (i.e., when a stop condition holds), and the engine is restarted when a predetermined time has elapsed following the engine stop (i.e., when a start condition holds).
Further, in the conventional controller for a vehicle, the predetermined time, which is related to the engine start condition, has been set at a fixed time.
Here, if the time from the stop to the restart of the engine is fixed, as with the conventional controller for a vehicle, there are cases where the window glass of the vehicle undesirably fogs up due to a rise in humidity in the vehicle by the time the engine is restarted, depending on the outside air or the condition in the vehicle when the vehicle stops and the engine stops after the interior of the vehicle has been naturally ventilated by the travel of the vehicle or if a dehumidifier has been operated from the driving force of the engine until the engine stops and the operation of the dehumidifier stops as the engine stops. The fogging up of the window glass inconveniently forces the driver to defog the window glass when he/she restarts the vehicle.
On the other hand, if the time from the stop to the restart of the engine is set to be shorter so as to prevent the window glass from fogging up, then the effect for restraining fuel consumption by stopping the engine while the vehicle is at rest would be inconveniently inadequate.